The New World's Longest Flight
Posted on 02/07/2017, 12:00 AM
If aviation were an endurance sport, there'd be a new reigning champ. As of this week, the longest flight in the world is now operated by Qatar Airways, whose new 9,032-mile service between the carrier's hometown of Doha and New Zealand takes 16 hours and 10 minutes to reach Auckland, and a tush-mushifying 17 hours and 30 minutes to come back. That beats the previous record-holder, Emirat...
Bowling Green Strikes Back
Posted on 02/06/2017, 7:00 PM
Today we received a topical press release from the people who promote Bowling Green, Kentucky. It seems they've read the same headlines that we have about terrible things that never happened there. Cleverly, they're seizing the hashtag moment to remind Americans of all the great things that truly are actually, really, honestly happening in Bowling Green. We won't act as factual ga...
Best Hotels in North America Rankings
Posted on 02/06/2017, 12:00 AM
The best hotels in North America have been named in U.S. News & World Report's seventh annual rankings. Taking top honors: Chicago's posh the Langham, which opened in 2013 in a 52-story modernist tower alongside the Chicago River. Runners-up include two hotels in Hawaii—the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai (#2) and the Montage Kapalua Bay (#4)—as well as the Jefferson in Washington, D.C. (#3...
Two New Reasons to Join TSA PreCheck
Posted on 02/03/2017, 12:00 AM
There are several good reasons for enrolling in the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program. If accepted, you get to take advantage of an expedited screening process at airports, during which you don't have to remove your shoes, belt, or jacket, and you can keep your laptop in its bag. Recently, two more incentives have been added: First, 11 airlines serving more than ...
Best Days in 2017 to See Cherry Blossoms in Japan
Posted on 02/02/2017, 12:00 AM
Spring will get here before you know it—and in Japan, that season means cherry blossoms decorating the country in shades of pink and white. Travelers who'd like to see those beautiful displays in person now have a handy resource for timing their visits to coincide with the days when trees are in peak bloom. The Japan Meteorological Corporation has put together an online forecast with pro...
Small Colorado Ski Resort Offers $700 Lift Ticket
Posted on 02/01/2017, 12:00 AM
Long overshadowed by bigger, glitzier Colorado ski resorts like Aspen Snowmass and Vail, the small, usually understated Sunlight Mountain in Glenwood Springs is making a bid for attention this season with a new lift ticket going for an astronomical $700. By comparison, peak-season, walk-up lift tickets cost $189 at Vail and $159 at Aspen Snowmass. In fact, the standard price for hitting th...
New Ideas from Marriott: Communal Rooms and Automatic Booze Dispensers
Posted on 01/31/2017, 12:00 AM
Last week Marriott International gave the public a preview of some of the ideas the hotel megachain is considering for rollout in the coming months. The sneak peek was given to attendees of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in downtown Los Angeles. One of the most talked-about concepts had to do with hotel layout; another had to do with booze. The layout idea, which is being consider...
American Airlines Begins Phasing Out Seat-Back Entertainment
Posted on 01/30/2017, 12:00 AM
Given that the vast majority of airline passengers now fly with one or more portable smart devices (phones, tablets, laptops), it has become clear that the days are numbered for those little screens embedded in the backs of airplane seats. And sure enough, a new batch of 100 Boeing 737s that will be entering service for American Airlines by the end of the year will not have seat-back entertai...
Free Admission at L.A. Museums on Sunday, January 29
Posted on 01/27/2017, 12:00 AM
Here's some incentive for appreciating art, culture, history, nature, or science if you happen to be in Los Angeles this weekend: More than 30 museums in and around that city will be letting visitors enter at no charge on Sunday, January 29—otherwise known as SoCal Museums' Free-for-All Day. Participating institutions include some of L.A.'s best and most popular attractions: the Getty Center...
Time-Lapse Video of Northern Lights Shot from Airplane's Window Seat
Posted on 01/26/2017, 12:00 AM
This is the best time of year to catch sight of the Northern Lights—when nights in the Arctic Circle are at their longest and darkest. Photographer Aryeh Nirenberg was treated to a particularly spectacular display on a New Year's Eve flight from New York City to Iceland's capital city of Reykjavik. And fortunately for all of us, he had a window seat. Check out Nirenberg's time-lapse video...
